McGaha on verge of ASU milestones

Senior wide receiver had 15 catches - 2nd most in school history - vs. Oregon State

Chris McGaha is on the verge of becoming the fifth Arizona State wide receiver with 150 career receptions.

If he makes the three catches he needs for that milestone on Saturday against California, he'll likely pass 2,000 career receiving yards, since he's only 29 shy of that mark.

All five of the ASU receivers with 150/2,000 credentials played in the NFL including Derek Hagan and Shaun McDonald. That's where McGaha aspires to play next year.

"It means a lot, but it also feels like I've been here forever," said McGaha, who redshirted in 2005 when Hagan was a senior and has been a full-time starter since '07.

"If anybody's been here as long as I have, they should be close to those numbers. That's definitely a good group of guys to be a part of. I take a lot of pride in that, and I'm sure they do too."

There are many points of pride for McGaha, who parlayed an all-state career at Phoenix Moon Valley High School into hometown college hero with such indelible catches as the falling down, tip-of-the-ball grab at the 1-yard line vs. Arizona in 2007.

Then there's the juggling touchdown catch on his back against Louisiana-Monroe this season, and a 50-yard game-winner against Washington coming off a week without practice because of the flu.

McGaha's list of personal favorites includes a one-hander against Texas in the Holiday Bowl for a touchdown, and a one-hander against Georgia last year on a pass that quarterback Rudy Carpenter was throwing away. McGaha couldn't quite bring it down in-bounds, but he still admires it.

"You don't realize the magnitude until you hear the impact it has on people and watch it yourself," McGaha said. "In the heat of the moment, it doesn't seem that difficult to me."

Never healthy in 2008 because of a broken toe suffered during spring practice, McGaha has bounced back to at least his 2007 form.

He's already equaled last year's 35 catches for 402 yards and three touchdowns, all team highs. He set personal bests against Oregon State with 15 catches - second most in school history - for 165 yards.

McGaha has been a go-to receiver, especially with Kyle Williams and Kerry Taylor slowed in recent weeks by injuries.

"I just thank God I'm not really struggling right now because we'd really be hurting," McGaha said.

"In some aspects it benefits me because I'm getting more passes. I just look at it as the same pressure if Kyle or Kerry was in there. I'm just doing my job."

Against Stanford last week when faced with a 24-0 halftime deficit, ASU turned to McGaha on its opening second-half drive.

"They kept trying to play our receivers man outside and Chris against press coverage is pretty good," quarterback Danny Sullivan said. He threw to McGaha for nine yards. Then McGaha drew a pass interference penalty on Stanford before snagging an 18-yard touchdown pass.

McGaha catches almost everything thanks to long fingers and a dexterity that he's concluded is critical to his success.

"I can get my pinky and thumb almost flat like a straight line," he said. "People have bigger hands than me, but how mine can stretch is abnormal."

McGaha, 23, had to stretch as a person after becoming a father in June 2008. "It definitely made me grow up a lot faster, and I probably needed that," he said.

"It's awesome to come home and look forward to seeing him and he's happy to see me. He repeats everything I say now so there's a lot more interaction."

His son, Carson, sometimes is at practice throwing a mini-football while dad puts in the work that could land him a job.

NFL draft experts mostly project McGaha as a third- or fourth-pick in April and some see comparisons between the 6-foot-1 McGaha and 5-9 Wes Welker of the New England Patriots.

McGaha and his fiancÚ, Aubrey McCloe, plan to marry in early July, a date selected with NFL training camp later that month in mind.

"I'm more than ready to get a chance at the next level," McGaha said. "I'm just hoping a team will take a chance on me. I'm just doing what I need to do to help my team now because I really can't go anywhere unless I take it one day at a time."